Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Back to the drawing board!!!

Is it any wonder why the automotive industry is in trouble?? They've been in trouble for a while but with the whole 700 billion dollar bailout deal their lack of intelligence is finally being brought into the spotlight. They can't take full blame for all of their financial woes though.

Part of the problem is a little group known as the United Auto Workers Union. I have had the privilege of dealing with some of these fine folks and was amazed that GM, Ford and Chrysler haven't gone under sooner. The workers protected by the UAW have no incentive to be productive and save money for the companies that employ them. They have great benefits, decent pay, work decent hours and anytime they want more they just have another strike.

Another shining star in their downfall is the quality of their product. Chrysler came out with a vehicle known as the PT Cruiser. How in the world do you make a vehicle with a 4-cylinder engine that gets less than 25 mpg on the highway in this modern day world? Somehow I can't put all the blame on them. Anyone who would spend their hard earned money to purchase this vehicle should be forced to have a bikini wax with a cheese-grater and isopropyl alcohol for lather. I'm not saying this is the only blunder they've produced but it is a great example.

GM and Ford were building trucks and suv's as fast as they could even with gas prices reaching unheard of and unthinkable levels. This must of have been where the Dept. of Homeland Security got their idea of how to run FEMA. The American public realized that gas prices were not gonna be good again for a long while and started going to hybrids and smaller, more gas-efficient vehicles. How do the geniuses who lead these companies not catch on to it?

Should our government spend some of the bailout money to save these floundering fish? Sadly, if we let them go under the economic and job losses would be monumental so I do believe we have to.